Nicki Flannery is on the substitutes bench with her head in her hands. It is the 34th minute of Canberra United’s match against Adelaide United in the 2018-19 W-League season. Former Canberra striker Michelle Heyman is kitted out in red and yellow, facing the club she had represented for almost 10 years. The narrative of betrayal quickly unfolds as Heyman crosses for teammate Veronica Latsko to score the opening goal.
Just after the half-hour, Flannery sends a shot high and wide of the far post. It hasn’t been the young winger’s best match, but it is still early and she needs to find her rhythm. A minute later, her jersey number flashes up in red on the substitution board. She bursts into tears before she reaches the bench.
How Foot…
Emma Hayes is serene in a small bungalow in Cobham as, amid the uncertainty, one era sweeps into another at Chelsea’s heavily monitored training ground. Two weeks ago, a short walk from here, Thomas Tuchel was sacked by Chelsea’s owners the morning after his 100th game at the club. Hayes had just passed 10 years in charge of Chelsea Women, in a reign made remarkable by five Women’s Super League titles, four FA Cups and two League Cups.
The second half of her career at Chelsea coincided with the arrival of her son, Harry, born only half an hour before Hayes gave birth to his twin brother, Albie, who had died inside her after 28 weeks. Now it feels as if she has been released from four years of hidden trauma.
Ha…
Sean Dyche has likened his job as Everton’s manager to “juggling sand” amid protracted uncertainty over the club’s ownership and financial future.
Dyche admits there will be no assurances over his summer transfer plans even in the event of securing the club’s Premier League status on Saturday. Everton can guarantee survival with victory against Brentford at Goodison Park providing Luton do not win at Wolves.
Sean Dyche defends his Everton tactics: ‘Not a time for style, a time to win’Read more
With 777 Partners unable to convince the Premier League it has the funds to complete a proposed takeover of Everton after seven months, and the owner, Farhad Moshiri, maintaining the controversial US investment fi…
NFC South division preview 2024 predicted order of finish, record Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7) Baker Mayfield's continued resurgence at quarterback and a stable defense will lead to a fourth consecutive division title. Atlanta Falcons (9-8) Kirk Cousins is an upgrade at quarterback and adding edge rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons make a return to the playoffs after a six-year absence realistic. New Orleans Saints (7-10) They could be better than this, but only if an offensive line featuring three unproven starters jells quickly. Carolina Panthers (5-12) Rookie coach Dave Canales will benefit Bryce Young, as he did Geno Smith and Baker Mayfield, but the team ceiling remains low. –NFC South top MVP candidates Bucs QB Baker Mayfield Mayfield had his most pro…
Major League Baseball is on the precipice of a pitching crisis. Dr. Keith Meister, head team physician for the Texas Rangers and one of the country’s top elbow surgeons, believes that the MLB’s current fixation on pitching performance is shortening pitchers’ careers. In an interview with The Athletic, Meister revealed he world on 230 elbow ligaments last season and is already “way ahead of that pace” this season. The 62-year-old specialist credited managers’ obsession with velocity and the introduction of the sweeper and power changeup pitches as major causes for the uptick in injury. “We used to say, you get your one TJ, you’re good. Then it was, you get 10 years out of one. Then it was seven to eight,” Meister told The Athletic. “Now guys break down in three…
The last time Emeka Okafor appeared on Deadspin as a NBA player, he was being escorted off a ride at Six Flags America in Maryland because he was too tall. He had turned 30 a little over a month earlier, and was at that time the starting center on a deeply bleak 29-win Washington Wizards team that also featured Jannero Pargo, Cartier Martin, and the baffled rookie version of Bradley Beal. A few weeks after security removed Okafor from Superman: Ride Of Steel, Barack Obama won his second term as president. A few months after that, Okafor was diagnosed with the neck injury that led him to retire from the NBA. That was 2013, and that appeared to be that. All things considered it seemed like a pretty good run. Okafor was a brilliant college player and a very solid NBA big man on what were m…
Wednesday’s Mexico-Panama Gold Cup semifinal was an ugly affair, with Mexico winning 2-1 after being the beneficiary of bogus red card and penalty calls. The refereeing was so poor that even Mexican newspapers admitted the game was a sham. This morning, CONCACAF president Alfredo Hawit released the following statement: We met with both the Referee Department leadership and referee Mark Geiger. Mr. Geiger, one of the best regarded referees in the region with vast international experience and a proven track record, accepted that officiating errors had been made during Wednesday’s match and that these impacted the outcome of the game. We at CONCACAF regret these circumstances but accept that such human errors are part of the game. The first thing to notice is the hilariously passive…
Chris Paul, fresh off an almost-upset in the first round, took in tonight's Heat-Celtics game with a recognizable cap atop his head and some slightly less recognizable people by his side. The Yankees logo screams New York, for Paul's choice when free agency rolls around—Barry tells me Knicks fans are already irrationally excited about him— but his company said Heat, Heat, Heat. ESPN's Dave McMenamin tweets, "Chris Paul sitting right in between two members of LeBron's LRMR group. Oh boy." Meanwhile, the New York Post, the megaphone for irrational Knicks fans, writes that Paul's coming because of a toast he made at LaLa and Melo's wedding. Free fucking agency, everybody. …
Longtime major league outfielder Kole Calhoun is retiring. He made the announcement Friday night via his Instagram account. "The day has come that I announce my retirement from Major League Baseball," Calhoun, 36, began his post. "I know how extremely lucky I am to even be able to say that. Baseball was always my dream, and to make that my reality fills me with gratitude. "I have loved this game since I can remember so making this announcement weighs heavy on my heart. This day comes for all players eventually and I can honestly say that I have given this game everything I have and I walk away with no regrets." The Los Angeles Angels selected Calhoun in the eighth round of the 2010 MLB Draft out of Arizona State. He played with the Angels from 2012-19 as wel…
data-mm-id=”_eqea95ycw”>With last night's expected Titans-Jaguars stinker already behind us, let's look ahead to Sunday and Monday's NFL slate as we rank the other 14 games by watchability.14. New York Jets (0-2) vs. New England Patriots (2-0)The Patriots should send Roger Goodell a thank you card, because the NFL's schedule-makers have effectively given them three bye weeks. Their first came last week, their second comes on Sunday, and their third will come in Week 10. The difference is, they won't be credited with a win for that Week 10 bye.13. Miami Dolphins (0-2) vs. Dallas Cowboys (2-0)Is this even going to count as a sporting event? The only reason anyone would willingly watch this would be to place bets on how badly Miami will lose. Something is seriousl…